To leave a comment, click on the header. You have to be "in" the post for the comments to appear. THANKS!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Book Review: DAEMONS IN THE MIST by Alicia Kat Dillman

Finally getting the girl of your dreams; what could possibly go wrong?

I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I met Kat on twitter and really didn't know what to expect from the novel. I knew it had a super-cool cover that Kat drew herself, and that there'd be love story at the heart of it, but the rest was a surprise. And what a pleasant surprise it was!


She could have been a perfectly normal, albeit a breathtakingly beautiful girl, but she wasn’t, for I knew there were secrets hidden behind her eyes.
Seventeen year old Patrick Connolly has been drawn to Nualla ever since he first saw her, but as the years pass she seems to take absolutely no notice of him. Until, that is, he rescues her from a confrontation in the school hallway. Little does he know that he’s about to be thrust into a world of life altering secrets and things that shouldn’t exist, because the fog and mist of San Francisco is concealing more than just buildings.
Deliriously captivating and extraordinarily soulful, Daemons in the Mist beautifully weaves together two voices to tell the story of what happens when life leads you down a not so normal path.

I didn't immediately love the book because it started off a little heavy on the telling. But by a few chapters in, I was engrossed with Nualla and Patrick's story. The novel is written in their alternate points of view, which I happen to have a particular weakness for (think Destined).

In short, you have a guy who sticks up for a girl when her ex-boyfriend is bullying her, and that wins her heart. When a chance meeting at the mall brings them back together that Friday night, Nualla convinces Patrick to join her & her friends on a spur of the moment trip to Vegas. And you know what happens when teens with fake IDs get hammered in Vegas and mention marriage... Yep, everything unwinds from there. But what was really cool was that once back in San Fran, Nualla & Patrick do the whole dating/falling in love thing. So it's not like we miss that step because of a mistake the characters make. Their relationship is still very well-developed.

Another thing I really enjoyed were all the twists and turns. I love when I don't see an ending coming, and this book had loads of surprises. I also liked that there was a happy ending but not a perfect ending. I thought the author did a great job with that.

Also, the secondary characters were awesome. It bothered me a little bit that Nualla referred to her patents by their first names given how close they all were, but the parents were still great characters. I also felt like a got to know both Nualla and Patrick's circle of friends, both of which groups felt real to me.

The one thing that bothered me throughout was the typos and grammatical errors. Despite these problems, though, the story line was so engrossing that I was able to overlook the flaws.

Bottom line: I give Daemons in the Mist 3.5 out of 4 Greek coins - a URA*+rating. If you like a great YA love story with paranormal elements and a fast-moving plot, check out this novel. A sequel and an illustrated version are also due out soon.

To get your own copy, check out Amazon or Barnes & Noble (for Nook owners).  You can also explore these other links:

Author site: http://www.katgirlstudio.com/
Author page for this book: 

http://www.katgirlstudio.com/books/young-adult/daemons-in-the-mist/
The publisher's page for this book:

 http://www.koratpublishing.com/our-books/daemons-in-the-mist/

11 comments:

Maya said...

Wow, this looks like fun. I'll have to check it out!

Katja Weinert said...

Great review! I think with a lot of indie books that a few tweaks could really make the story shine. Typos and 'telling' are a bit annoying, but there are some pretty good plots and awesome characters out there.

I've been reading a few Indie authors recently and I think I'm learning to see in my own writing what a reader might not like. Some Indie authors are inspiring.

The characters sound interesting, I may check this out.

Jessie Harrell said...

I hope you both do check it out. I really enjoyed the storyline.

Kelly Hashway said...

Great review. I'll check this out.

Katja Weinert said...

Great price on kindle, have just downloaded. Thanks, Jessie.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Nice review. The book sounds interesting.

Anonymous said...

Nice review. I also enjoy stories that have a happy ending, but not a perfect ending.

Robin Quinn

Alicia Kat Vancil said...

Hi Jessie thank you for the fab and honest review. =^.^=

I'll try to have the editor do another pass on DITM before it goes to press for the bookstore & libraries editions.

The first name thing explained:
I grew up going to one of the Parent Co-op alternative learning program schools here in the SF Bay Area. Parent Co-op schools require parents of students to work at least open day a week in the classroom, so everyone calling their parents "Mom" and "Dad" would have been a mess. At our school we also called all the teachers by their first names and as well we were required to call our parents by their first names. So basically I grew up thinking this was entirely normal and it wasn't until HS that I found out just how unusual it really was.So I decided to use this in my story world.

In Kalodaemon culture they usually refer to their parents by first name while humans tend not too.I guess my unusual background influences me more than I thought.

Alicia Kat Vancil said...

Oh Jessie, my last name is Dillman BTW =^.^=

Jessie Harrell said...

Sorry, Kat! I changed your name in the post title. *facepalm* That's a cool explanation for using the parents first names too. Thanks for stopping by!

Christa Desir said...

This is a really great review. I've missed you gals over at OASIS...are you close to starting up again? Thinking of your kindergartener and hoping it is going well.

Post a Comment

I love hearing your thoughts! Thanks for dropping by.